1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lighting unit of a tent, more particularly a lighting unit, which can be arranged in such position that appearance of the tent will not be badly effected by presence thereof, and which can help increase good atmosphere at night for people using the tent with light thereof.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Tents are indispensable equipments for people who go camping or travel in a cheap way. Tents shelter the users from wind, insects and so on at night so that the users can sleep well, and can shelter the users from sunlight and rain, too.
However, most conventional tents not equipped with lighting devices. Consequently, the users do not have enough illumination while they are in the tents. Other lights that are located outside the tents will not effectively increase illumination in the tents because the covering cloth will block the light. Therefore, many lights have to be disposed around the tents or lights have to be moved closer to the tents for the users to have enough illumination, costing a lot of labor and inconvenience.
To overcome this disadvantage, referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, a conventional tent has an upper support 21, lamps (not shown), transverse rods 22, fixing blocks 214, covering cloth (not shown), and upright rods (not numbered). The upper support 21 includes a chief connecting member 211, and four upper support rods 212. Each of the upper support rods 212 is pivoted to the chief connecting member 211 at the upper end by means of a steel wire 3. The upper support rods 212 have insertion portions 215 at the lower ends. Each of the fixing blocks 214 has several connecting tube portions 216 extending to certain directions. The lamps have protrusions sticking from lateral sides, and the upper support rods 212 have holding trenches, which are formed with corresponding cavities for the lateral protrusions of the rods 212.
To assemble the tent for use, lower ends of the insertion portions 215 are inserted into an uppermost tube portion 216 of corresponding fixing blocks 214. And, the transverse rods 22, and the upright rods are inserted corresponding ones of the fixing blocks 214. The covering cloth is secured to the supporting rods. The lamps with the wires are contained in the trenches of the upper support rods 212 with the lateral protrusions being fitted into corresponding cavities of the rods 212. Thus, the lamps can provide illumination from inside of the tent.
In addition, referring to FIG. 12, which is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,560. The U.S. patent also has a rod having a holding trench and the lamps can be put into the holding trench.
However, the tents are found to have drawbacks as followings:
1. The holding trenches of the upper rods 212 are made to have specialized shape, therefore only the lamps, which are particularly made to fit the trenches, can be used in this tent. Consequently, the trenches do not allow the users to substitute other kinds of lamps for the present ones, causing a lot of inconvenience.
2. The manufacturers have to make specialized moulds for such lamps therefore the cost of the tent is increased, reducing competitiveness of the product in the market.
It is a main object of the present invention to provide a lighting unit for a tent, which can be easily fitted in position, and which can be arranged in such a manner that appearance of the tent will not be badly affected.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a lighting unit, which can be securely hung on the upper support rods of the tent without possibility of falling down.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a lighting unit for a tent, which can help be fitted in position with the wires being hidden to not badly affect appearance of the tent.
The present lighting unit of a tent includes lamps, wires provided for connecting the lamps to power, and holding trenches formed along upper rod portions of a supporting frame of the tent.
The holding trenches are formed along upper sides of the rod portions for holding the wires therein. Each of the rod portions has through holes extending from the lower side and equidistantly spaced along same to communicate with the holding trench thereof. The wires is positioned along inner spaces of the holding trenches of corresponding rod portions, and passed through the through holes to be connected to the lamps so that the lamps are hung under the second sides of the rod portions when the tent is spread for use.